Master of Special Education at San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University

United States of America, San Francisco

University Rank:#1401

Study Special Education at San Francisco State University, a Master degree offered at its main campus in San Francisco, United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 2 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for August 16, 2027.

About Master of Special Education

Students may specialize in a interest area that includes one of the following:

Early Childhood Special Education

This interest area focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to lead and collaborate in a variety of early childhood settings that include young children with disabilities. This includes settings in which children are receiving special education services through early intervention (birth-age 3) as well as within early childhood education programs (preschool, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten). Coursework within this program area have a foundation in inclusion and equity-centered practices, emphasizing service delivery that is asset-based, culturally-responsive, and interdisciplinary. Individuals will gain knowledge and skills that will prepare them to support the learning and development of young children in partnerships with their families and communities.

Mild to Moderate Support Needs

This interest area is designed to provide professionals with the knowledge and skills to educate learners with mild to moderate support needs from diverse backgrounds who have a range of learning, developmental, social and emotional needs. Through specialized courses with concurrent field experiences and mentored student teaching, candidates gain competency in the historical, philosophical, and empirical foundations of general and special education practices within a culturally responsive, inclusive and neurodiversity framework. Among the topics covered are policy issues; professional, legal and ethical practices; characteristics of diverse populations; English language learners; assessment, curriculum and instruction; positive behavior and social-emotional supports; transition programming; universal design for learning; multi-tiered systems of support; interdisciplinary collaboration; and family and community partnerships. Graduates are prepared to enter professions in education, human service and related fields, as well as research and leadership positions.

Extensive Support Needs

Candidates in this interest area must demonstrate their competence in providing quality educational services to students with extensive support needs (e.g., moderate/severe disabilities) including access to standards-based academic curricula and the use of systematic, data-based approaches to instruction and models of curricular adaptation and social supports. Competencies in supporting students in inclusive settings, interacting effectively with families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and in developing educational goals using a transdisciplinary team approach are also essential components of the program emphasis. In addition, a two-semester sequence of supervised practica ensures that candidates are able to apply the knowledge and skills acquired through course content and assignments to the instruction of students with extensive support needs in urban school settings.

Orientation and Mobility

This interest area prepares professionals to teach people of all ages who have visual impairments (including those with multiple disabilities) how to navigate their environment safely and efficiently using a white cane or effective use of residual vision. The curriculum includes such things as independent travel in indoor and outdoor environments; sensory and motor development; daily living skills; use of low vision, GPS, and other electronic devices in travel. Graduates take jobs in schools, adult rehabilitation centers, or work as private contractors.

Visual Impairment

This interest area prepares personnel to empower a diverse range of blind and low vision students and their families. This diversity ranges in age from birth to 22 years and is inclusive of those with additional disabilities including deafblindness. Our program commits to culturally responsive pedagogy as aligned with principles of anti-racism and anti-ableism. Graduates are prepared to bridge current evidence-based literature with practice-oriented instructional strategies that are focused on promoting students' access to core and expanded core curriculum areas while emphasizing barrier-free membership in school, home, and community settings. Graduates enter the workforce prepared to exercise evidence-based knowledge in a breadth of issues related to visual impairments such as consent, access technology, braille literacy, sensory efficiency, independent living skills, career education, self-determination, and multimedia accessibility.

Graduates of the program will attain mastery of a broad field of learning in special education and inclusive practices.
The program will foster students' development of competence as practitioners, researchers, and scholars, including their knowledge of the ways in which research influences practice.
Graduates of the program will demonstrate a mindset of inquiry as a reflective practitioner and use critical thinking skills.
The program will prepare educational leaders who demonstrate a mindset of inquiry as a reflective practitioner, use critical thinking skills, and work effectively with individuals, families, and communities from diverse backgrounds and settings.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Special Education at San Francisco State University

Entry Requirements

Eligible Degrees: Bachelor's degree.

Required Academic Documents: Degree certificate and transcript (record of subjects taken and marks earned) If your academic record is not in English, an English translation must accompany all academic documents. Academic documents must be university issued and sealed.

GPA Equivalency: a GPA of "B" or higher is required for graduate study 70 - 79

English Requirements

PTEMin 59
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 80

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Special Education at San Francisco State University

Application Fee 70

How to Apply for Master of Special Education at San Francisco State University

Before Applying

Spend time reviewing your desired program's information
Note your program deadline for application. Applications are due by 9:00 pm the day of your application deadline. Refer to the lists below to determine your application deadline.
Review the minimum university requirements for admission for domestic or international students.
Gather your transcripts, test scores, and additional program materials that can be uploaded online. At this time, you may use unofficial copies, however, official copies will be required for formal review.
International students should also gather uploadable versions of their TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Provide notice to your recommenders prior to completing your application.

Submitting Your Application

Go to the Cal State Apply portal, select semester from dropdown menu, create an account or login with account credentials
Upload and attach all required materials under the four quadrants
Once you have submitted names and emails for recommendations, recommendation requests are automatically generated.
Complete payment for application: $70. All fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
Once your application and payment have been submitted, you cannot add documents.

Cal State Apply

San Francisco State Graduate program applications are submitted through Cal State Apply. Cal State Apply is a Centralized Application Service (CAS) that simplifies the process of applying to CSU programs. You will only submit one application for the university and the graduate program.

Quadrant I: Personal Information

Complete all of the required fields in the 7 sub-sections
Fields noted as optional may be skipped

Quadrant II: Academic History

Colleges attended: Add all previous institution information and dates attended
Standardized tests: Standardized tests will be reported under Program Materials, click on "I am Not Adding Any Standardized Tests"
GPA entries: Graduate Studies will calculate your GPA from your previous institution transcripts, click on "Don't have a GPA to add"

Quadrant III: Supporting Information

Experiences: You may opt out of all supporting materials, unless your intended program instructs you to use these fields. Select "I Am Not Adding Any Experiences" in this section of the application.

Quadrant IV: Program Materials

Program materials is composed of 4 separate tabs. Carefully read the Home tab as the program lists all required materials and important information on this tab.
Questions: All required questions must be answered
Documents: All required documents must be uploaded. Attach documents that are legible. You may need to resize any scanned PDFs so that you do not exceed the MB limit for each document.
Recommendations: Once you have submitted names and emails for recommendations, recommendation requests are automatically generated.
Do not wait for recommendations to be returned. Continue with the application process in order to meet your deadline.

After Submitting

Applications will be sent electronically to the program once all materials have arrived and evaluators have evaluated the minimum requirements are met.
The program reviews applications and makes their recommendations to the Graduate Division.
You will receive an email notifying you that a decision is ready.
Log into your Student Center to review the acceptance checklist. If you have not already arranged for submission of official copies of transcripts, test scores and degree certificates, you will need to make these arrangements.

Master of Special Education at San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University

United States of America, San Francisco